sandalwood tree

5.6

A tree from Indonesia and Malaysia with sweet-smelling inner wood used to make perfume, oil, and furniture

noun
/ˈsændəlˌwʊd tri/

: árbol de sándalo

The sandalwood tree is known for its aromatic heartwood.

Examples

The sandalwood tree is highly valued for the aromatic oil extracted from its heartwood.
Chests made from sandalwood trees are prized for their pleasant scent and ability to repel insects.
In Indonesia, the sandalwood tree is protected due to overharvesting for its valuable wood.
Many artisans prefer using sandalwood trees for their woodworking projects.
The carpenter used the fragrant heartwood of the sandalwood tree to craft beautiful furniture.
Many cultures have used the oils extracted from the sandalwood tree in their traditional perfumes.
To ward off insects, she placed small pieces of the sandalwood tree around the picnic area.

Synonyms

Santalum album

vssandalwood tree

Specialized

9.9

A small tree with very fragrant wood used for perfume and carving

is the common name rather than the species scientific name

true sandalwood

vssandalwood tree

Australian

9.1

A tree that grows on other plants in Indonesia and Malaysia with yellow, fragrant wood that repels insects

is the general term without mentioning parasitic habit

Surface Forms

sandalwood tree singular

sandalwood trees plural

Morphology

sandalwood + tree

The phrase is a straightforward noun-noun composition: 'sandalwood' (the fragrant wood) + 'tree' indicates a tree that yields sandalwood. This is a regular, compositional pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Sandalwood tree comes from the sweet, long-lasting smell of its wood, and the sandal part points to that scent rather than the shoe. People used this scented wood for perfumes and carved boxes that kept insects away, so the name now means a tree valued for its fragrant inner wood.